The Madras High Court on Tuesday restrained a body of Muslim outfits from going ahead with its proposed agitation to lay siege to the Tamil Nadu Assembly to press their demand for a House resolution against Citizenship (Amendment) Act, National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR).
A bench of justices M Sathyanaraya and R Hemalatha granted the interim injunction till March 11, restraining the Federation of Tamil Nadu Islamic and Political Organisations and its allied associations from organising the agitation, proposed for Wednesday.
Passing the interim order on a public interest litigation (PIL), which sought to forbid the police from granting permission to the agitation, the bench posted the matter to March 12 for further hearing.
The court made it clear that it was not expressing any opinion on CAA, NRC and NPR.
On Tuesday, a PIL seeking to prevent the police from allowing a proposed agitation to lay siege to Tamil Nadu Assembly by some organisations, including Muslim outfits.
When mention was made before the first bench, comprising Chief Justice AP Sahi and Justice Subramonium Prasad, seeking an urgent hearing, it directed the petitioners, including journalist Varaki, to file the public interest litigation and said it would take it up on Tuesday.
The petitioners submitted that the organisations have announced they would besiege the Assembly on Wednesday to bring pressure on the AIADMK government to move a resolution opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Population Register and National Register of Citizens.
Referring to continuing agitations, including the latest stir in a north Chennai locality, by various organisations opposing the CAA and other measures, they alleged “the innocent public was being incited” to join such protests and create problems by spreading rumours.
Besides, some leaders of the organisations were also delivering inciting and intimidating speeches, even going to the extent of issuing threats to the lives of the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister, the petitioners submitted.
If the Assembly siege agitation was granted permission and a large number of protesters were permitted to gather near the Secretariat, the normal functioning of the state government would have been affected, the petitioners said.